Welcome back! Today’s cars hail from that decade when the music got grungy, the fashions got baggy, and the cars all looked like jellybeans: the 1990s. They’re both drop-tops, they’re both stickshifts, and they’re both a whole lot of fun.
Hopefully, that all means you’ll have a tougher choice between them than you did with yesterday’s Germans. I honestly thought this one would be closer, maybe because I personally like them both. But as it turned out, that poor Audi showed up to a gunfight with not a knife, but a piece of al dente linguini. It didn’t stand a chance, cool aftermarket wheels or not.
When it comes to these two particular examples, I agree, but I still would love to have a five-cylinder Audi at some point. That GT would be a fine choice – at half the price. And I do like the 924 an awful lot. In fact, I looked pretty seriously at a 1977 924 Martini Edition before I bought my MG. This one would be a lot better starting point than that one was.
Now, I know it’s generally considered the wrong time of year for convertibles for most of us. But there is something weirdly pleasant about driving a convertible in the snow with the top down. If you’ve never done it, you should try it sometime. Crank up the heat, put on a nice warm hat, and away you go. And with these two being rear-wheel-drive, snownuts in a parking lot are just the flick of a wrist away. A one-horse open sleigh? Hell, we can do better than that. Let’s check them out.
1995 Ford Mustang GT – $3,800
Engine/drivetrain: 5.0-liter overhead valve V8, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Odometer reading: 116,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives great
The rear-wheel-drive V8-powered Mustang as we know it famously almost died at the end of the 1980s, but received a reprieve after an uproar from angry fans who couldn’t bear to see the Mustang name on a front-wheel-drive Mazda. I didn’t much care one way or the other at the time, but looking back over the past thirty years of Mustangs, I think Ford made the right call.
The SN95-era Mustang GT is usually associated with Ford’s 4.6 liter overhead cam V8, but for the first two years, it carried over the “five-point-oh” from the previous generation, as immortalized in the songs of old. It was available with either Ford’s AOD automatic, which was what you got if you rented one, or a five-speed manual, which this one has. It runs and drives great, the seller says, and has had some recent work to keep it that way.
It looks decent inside, except for a bad spot in the leather steering wheel rim, and a rip in the passenger’s seat. The seller says everything works, including the power top, which appears to be in fine shape.
The outside is clean as well, and I like the dark green. It’s pretty subdued as mid-90s colors go, but it’s a hell of a lot more interesting than silver or black. I didn’t think much of the SN95 body style at first, but it has grown on me over the years.
1999 Mazda Miata – $2,999
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter dual overhead cam inline 4, five-speed manual, RWD
Location: San Leandro, CA
Odometer reading: 250,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well, but has a check-engine light
Miata, it is said, is always the answer. Having owned one for years, I can’t quite agree; instead, I would say Miata is usually the answer. Commuting? Yeah, it can do that. A fun drive on a twisty road on a nice day? Of course! Picking up lumber from Home Depot? Well, it can do it, but it ain’t pretty. Taking more than one friend along? Not gonna happen.
The second-generation NB Miata carried over a lot of the mechanical bits of the first generation, including its 1.8 liter four and five-speed manual, but everything was improved just a little bit. This car goes and stops just a little bit better than the old NA Miata did. The beauty of the Miata is that it’s not only ridiculously fun to drive, but it’s also dead-reliable and lasts a long time. This Miata has a quarter million miles on its odometer, and it’s still going strong. It sounds like it might have been sitting for a while; the registration is long expired, and the seller says it has a check-engine light code for a misfire. New plugs and wires should solve the problem, and if not, troubleshooting info is just a click away.
250,000 miles does take its toll on the soft parts of a car, and that’s where this car needs a little help. The seat upholstery is shot, and the top is held together with duct tape. However, the air conditioner and heater work fine, and this is a fancy Miata with power windows, locks, and mirrors.
It’s a bit scruffy outside, with dents and scrapes and faded paint that tell a story of years of enjoyment. Spotless cars are boring. I’d rather have something with some character. Those headlights really could use polishing, though. There’s scruffy, and then there’s not being able to see a damn thing.
These both look like fun to me. Even better, they’re both reliable enough to drive every day, if you so choose. Granted, if you live in a really snowy part of the country, they might not be the best choices for year-round fun, but I had a Miata as my only car for two years in Oregon, and I know plenty of people who have spent the winter in a Mustang. You’ll get good at controlling oversteer, if nothing else. So which classic RWD sports car will it be?
(Image credits: sellers)
That Mustang is exactly what I’d want in one right now. Easy choice.
Get the mustang, get glass pack mufflers, annoy everyone.
I would prefer the Miata, but they’re cramped and I don’t like the look of this one. The Mustang is a green convertible manual V8 in decent shape for $3800. Even as someone who doesn’t care for convertibles and wasn’t too impressed with the little later Cobra version of this, I’d take it over this Miata.
Would have gone Miata, but two things jumped out at me. The K and N sticker on the air cleaner and the oil spill around the oil cap. The oil tells me the level of attention is not there for this car to have a K and N air filter. At 250,000 miles who knows what’s going on inside those cylinders.
Honestly, as much as I like that bodystyle of Miata… I miss my ’03 Mustang GT convertible. I learned to drive manual in that car.
I was so going Miata. However a Miata may run forever 250,000 is forever.
The Mustang looks in good shape and the upholstery can be redone, while the Miata just looks scruffy. Plus V8 and nice colors on the ‘Stang. Despite the price difference it’s an easy choice today.
Sometime back around 2003 when I was traveling frequently for work I wound up in Dallas TX in the middle of a massive ice storm. Being as I rented cars a lot Hertz really loved me and on this particular trip they showed that love by upgrading me to a rear wheel drive Mustang convertible – again, reminding all that there was a massive ice storm that basically shut down the city. Well, that was okay – I turned lemons into lemonade. Since I grew up in a winter environment rear wheel drive cars on slick surfaces don’t faze me a bit. I had a blast with that convertible, driving it with the top down to the consternation of the other (very few) drivers on the road and taking it to do donuts in local parking lots. I even went to the customer site, where the few people that actually made it in asked me “why did you bother? Nobody’s here!”
Miata is always the… Ok maybe not this time. That is a very rough example and high miles combined with mechanical issues and a with it needing a top YEARS ago… I’m going Mustang this time, even though I have driven these a few times and do not find them fun at all. Still the better option.
I wanted to want the Miata – but this one is thrashed.
I’ll take the Mustang because I can drive this now without embarassment or worry.
It’d be a more difficult decision if the Mustang were the usual Mustang-ed out. This is actually pretty nice and should be fun enough to drive. The Miata is beat, but for a price drop, it’d be very appealing to fix up.
Get the Miata, pretend you’re Keeley Jones, and then head out for a night of pubs and clubs, or the great Asian pasttime of KARAOKE!
When I saw that silver NB I decided Keeley was my favourite character. She’s well off enough to afford something fancier but the NB suits her so well!
The Mustang is in infinitely better shape than the Miata. Good value too.
There should be a scale for Miatas based on condition vs price. Maybe this one if more feasible if it was $1500. How much is the roof and fixing the interior bits? I don’t like how Mustang convertibles drive.
A good top is about $400. You can swap one out yourself if you’re handy but it sucks. I haven’t gotten around to doing mine yet but it’s not urgent at this point. New leather upholstery is available from a few companies and runs $600 or so for both seats. It’s doable (I did it on my NA, a ’95 M Edition with the low back buckets) but it absolutely requires some strength and enough unearned confidence to take on a challenging job with no guarantee of success. Many NA interior bits are still available NOS (spendy) or through specialist breakers. I don’t really have experience with NBs but I would imagine that’s the case there as well.
Normally, I would prefer a Miata to a Mustang – but this Mustang has half the miles and looks to be in rather better condition for very little more money – certainly less more than a new top for that Miata is going to cost to have installed, never mind the rest of the stuff a 250K mile car with a CEL is going to need. And at the end of the day, they are equally fun cars in different ways.
So Mustang all the way here.
WHAT? How the fuck is the Miata not killing it in the poll? WTF?
TRAITORS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Miata is ALWAYS the answer 😛
(sorry, I had to!)
I’m thinking that Miata plus this is the answer
https://www.theautopian.com/some-genius-figured-out-the-ford-fusion-engine-bolts-almost-perfectly-into-a-miata-and-now-its-a-go-to-budget-swap/
Side note, I feel like we need a monthly Twist on the “Shitbox Showdown”.
The “Showbox Shitdown”
Once a month, we have to decide which of two excessively modified (think Importfest, SEMA, Auto Salon) cars we hate more. Show cars usually age terribly and are left to rot, so the listings would be interesting.
I like it! I don’t know about once a month, I usually can’t keep that strict of a schedule with themes, but for special occasions I’ll keep it in mind.
I’m willing to volunteer making a monthly write-up for consideration.
I don’t particularly need the V8, but I do need a back seat to bring the kid and dog along for the ride. Mustang looks to be in much better shape too.
The answer is Miata, but not that Miata. Given the choice of these two for similar money, I’d take the Mustang. And I say that as a current owner of 2 Miatae.
You have a Miata, and a Miyachta. Close though. Sorry, couldn’t resist haha.
That is true. LOL.
This is almost a Both day. Sacrifice the Mustang to do a heart transplant on the Miata. Alas the financials aren’t stacked in favor of this (a crate engine would be a better option), so I guess it’s just the Miata.
I was going Miata until I saw that top.
And the interior, and the CEL with 250k and… I almost just skipped to the end and smashed the Miata button, but I just can’t get behind this one. Though, if I were to buy it I might have to. To push it.
Even tie all the way around, can’t even fight on model years because 99 and 95 were my favorites.
I’ll say Mustang because it looks less roached. Big 5.0 V8. Perfect to dig out the Swervedriver+Foo Fighters+Pitchshifter+Offspring CD I burned in 2005.
I also have nostalgia for the good old days where a playlist was a CD with random songs, some of which you obtained through questionably legal means.
The Miata.
I wanna lift it, put pizza cutter 28″ all terrains on it, and be dashing through the snow all winter long.
If the budget were unlimited, it’d get a heart transplant and the Paco Motorsports Offroadster.
I’m typically in the Miata camp and since I own an almost identical ’99 NB, even in the same color, (with half as many miles) I’ve basically already voted with my dollars.
But the condition of the cars and the mileage just says the Mustang is the better deal in this case. 116k isn’t much for the year, it looks reasonably good and even the top is good.
That Miata is just tired. Probably good for a track car but getting it back on the road is a bit of a project and the miles just don’t support that for me.
I was ready to click Miata, but that Mustang seems to be in much better shape overall. So I’m rolling in my 5-0.
Have you read the full words to One Horse Open Sleigh? They’re doing snownuts with that mighty 1HP
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingle_Bells